


Pulled Apart At The Seams

by whosthatpokaimon



Series: Soulmate Nygmob [1]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bottom Edward Nygma, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Top Oswald Cobblepot, but shh, edward cries twice, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:33:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23293303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whosthatpokaimon/pseuds/whosthatpokaimon
Summary: Soulmate AU - Colorblind until you meet your soulmate.Even with someone as intelligent as Edward Nygma, he had no idea of its existence. He thought he was just colorblind until he met Oswald, which he only then thought of it as a simple coincidence. He never knew what it truly meant until it was too late.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Series: Soulmate Nygmob [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1675159
Comments: 5
Kudos: 64





	Pulled Apart At The Seams

**Author's Note:**

> the title is from Colors - Halsey. got this idea while sleep-deprived and really really sad one night, so bear with me, it gets angsty. hope you enjoy!

Colors. They always fascinated him, as he had never been able to see them. It was always upsetting to him, even a nuisance to him at times, especially after he started his job in forensics at the GCPD. He had the intelligence to keep records in his head so he could tell the difference between hues and saturations depending on what kind of gray the item he was studying was, but it never really fixed the problem as a whole: when it all came down to it, he was just colorblind and he had to deal with it. There was one fateful day, however, that had changed his life forever.

It was quite a busy day at the police department, especially with the whole adrenal gland murderer still running around. Edward was on his way to deal with some papers when he looked over the edge of the balcony and saw, in the flesh, The Penguin. Raven hair, black coat, pale skin... An officer walked between the shorter man and Ed's gaze and the blue of his uniform managed to catch his eye. It wasn't gray, it was a soft, light blue. He was so focused on the visitor that he hadn't even noticed the change yet. Oswald eventually looked up at Ed, causing him to snap out of his thoughts and looking away to try not to seem too obvious. He eventually followed the man, to which they had a rather unpleasant encounter, but he always thought first impressions never mattered. On his way back to doing what he was doing before, he looked around the bullpen. It was sunny outside for once, the sun shining through the large windows of the GCPD to cast a soft yellow light on everything. It did make him wonder, however, what could have caused this change so suddenly. He didn't have enough friends to know exactly what the issue was, but he's overheard officers in the bullpen talk to their significant others, telling them that they brought them color, about being soulmates, and generally being mushy. It had to be just a metaphor, soulmates don't exist. He'd find the answer eventually, but by that point, he still had paperwork to drop off at the records annex.

After the death of Ms. Kringle, while hiding her body, he crossed paths with Oswald once more, yet he was still hesitant to trust Ed. It was no surprise, he did work for the police, after all. He confessed his murders and offered a temporary stay while he recovered from a gunshot wound in his shoulder, and after a while, The Penguin seemed to warm up to him and trust him as a friend. Perhaps he was just searching for an answer to his sudden ability to see color, but Ed felt that he truly did enjoy Oswald's company as well. When he came back from Arkham and showed up at his apartment door, tarred and feathered, it seemed like a relief to see him again, but he wasn't the same. They had done something to him at Arkham and he claimed that he was a changed man. No more aggression. It kind of worried him a bit, especially since Ed had started his chain of crimes as a plan to get rid of Jim without directly killing him.

Failing to keep the truth hidden for long, Ed was thrown into Arkham himself and all charges against Gordon had been dropped on the pretext that he had been framed. Oswald visited frequently, back to his usual self again, but it puzzled Nygma as to why he was so kind. The answer he had gotten was along the lines that Ed had always been so kind to him in the past, so he thought he would return the favor as a friend. Later that month, he got a certificate of sanity, claiming he was once again sane, it was even signed. He left the madhouse without another thought. He was picked up by Mr. Penguin, who had then taken him back to his mansion to start his mayoral campaign with Edward as his chief of staff. Together, they accomplished so much. Oswald won the election, they took down Butch's group that had been trying to get revenge against them, their bond grew stronger, and they were even going to enjoy a nice dinner together until he met a Kristen lookalike at the liquor store looking for a bottle of wine. When she died in a car crash caused by Oswald cutting the brake lines of her car, none of what happened in the past mattered to him. He needed to get his revenge on Oswald. But no, killing him would be too easy. He wanted to take away everything he loved as Oswald had done to him. Once he had his fill of seeing Oswald suffer, Edward lured him into a trap, tying him to the mangled hood of Isabella's car and setting up an elaborate deathtrap that included highly corrosive acid.

"I did it for love. I did it because I love you. You should know that..." Oswald's cries meant nothing to him. All that mattered was getting justice for a life lost far too soon. He still couldn't help but feel guilty for some odd reason... Maybe it was just pity. Pity that Oswald had been emotionally vulnerable enough to fall in love with his only true friend, eventually ruining that relationship as well.

When Oswald managed to escape the acid, it was time for Plan B. Just shooting him should be enough.

He brought Oswald to the docks that held so many bad memories for seemingly everyone that walked onto it. Even Edward felt uneasy doing this, but Oswald's cries and pleads were enough to push him forward with his plan. If he wanted to stay alive so badly, he shouldn't have interfered with Ed's happiness. Some of what Oswald had said included things such as _I love you, You need me, I made you, You love me..._ What a joke.

"I _don't_ love you."

And with that, all of the rage in his body rushed to his finger on the trigger and fired.

There was a flash of light, then everything was drained from him. Oswald looked down in shock, but the one more shocked than the other was Edward. The blood was no longer that crimson color he's come to know it was these past few months, it was gray again. Everything lost its color. He gasped slightly, making sure Oswald didn't hear or see his reaction. Not wanting to break his cool, he kept the rest of his reaction held back, grabbing onto Oswald's tie and pulling his face closer to his own.

"Goodbye, Oswald." Was all he said before dropping him into the water that was no longer blue. He looked around and, sure enough, nothing had its color anymore. The more he thought about it, the more question he had. His eyes widened when he finally reached a conclusion. His jaw loosened and his gun fell from his hand as he stared at the darker hue of Oswald's blood floating to the surface of the water.

No... No, it couldn't possibly... Soulmates don't exist, there was no such thing, but the longer he thought about it, the more connections he made. Everyone always talked about seeing colors after meeting someone, eventually coming to love and hook up with that person. That thought terrified him. Edward dropped to his knees, not caring about getting the dirt on his green slacks, and sat back on his heels. He stared blankly forward at the water, his mind running faster than his heartbeat. His other self didn't even show up to say anything this time, leaving him alone with his thoughts. A tear rolled down his cheek as his expression remained unchanging.

He killed his soulmate and there was nothing he could do about it.

After a few moments, he got up and left, continuing to think about the situation he was in, as well as the life he had _\- the life he could have had -_ with Oswald as a whole. Wracked with grief, he turned to an unlikely ally for advice. She's worked with Oswald longer than he himself has. Though Barbara was rather rude, she offered a container of hallucinogens. He didn't need an explanation. When he got back to the mansion, he sat down onto the couch with a huff. He hesitated but placed a capsule between his teeth and lightly bit down on it to pop it open. He felt the tiny beads scatter across his tongue and dissolve.

His vision fuzzed slightly, but within the blink of an eye, Oswald was there. Covered in seaweed, but there. "Miss me already, Ed?" The hallucination spoke up. He didn't want to admit it, but he did feel that he didn't know how much he would miss having Oswald by his side until he was already gone. It kind of hurt. "Figured as much." Oswald scoffed and crossed his arms.

"You were my soulmate... And I never knew..." Edward never let himself be this emotional, but it was just him and his thoughts, which included Oswald. He was a hallucination, meaning he was technically a part of him. It didn't matter. The real Oswald would never know, anyways.

"Yeah, no shit, genius, and it was your fault. All because you thought you loved that woman and you were too stubborn to notice that fate had a different path for you. Come on, even when I was alive, I knew you just wanted Kristen back because you knew no one else had made you feel how she made you feel." Wow. Those hallucinogens were good. He was even as salty as the real Oswald was. He must have absorbed it from sitting at the bottom of the ocean. He would have said that aloud if he wasn't so upset. "Do you need anything important or do you wanna just wallow in your own self-pity? Just because I'm a figment of your imagination now doesn't mean I'm just a voice." Edward just felt... Bad. It was really hard to be mad at him now.

"I guess there's a... couple of things." Ed supposed he could take advantage of this situation, wanting to spend as much time with Oswald as he could now that he could only see him through the medication Barbara gave him.

"That's what I thought. What's on your mind? What do you want?" What _did_ he want...? "Need help? We could cuddle, kiss, fuck... Hell, even for a hallucination of your dead soulmate, I'm pretty useful. I can do a lot of -."

"All of the above," Ed spoke without another thought. If he couldn't choose, he'd just have all of them.

"You sure? Okay, well, the meds wear off pretty quickly, just to let you know. Do you want to be the top or the bottom?" His hallucination asked so casually. He thought about it for a moment, still overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

 _"What'll it be, Ed? Wreck or be wrecked?"_ Ed looked up and his phantom double had approached Oswald from behind, wrapping his arms around the hallucination's waist. The shorter male looked back at him with a smirk _"He'd make a pretty good submissive, obeying all your orders..."_ His hands trailed Oswald's sides, squeezing his hips gently. _"But I can tell that's not what you're looking for right now."_ The Riddler promptly let go of The Penguin, causing him to pout. He walked closer to Edward _"You're overwhelmed, just lay back, relax, and let Ozzie here take care of you. You won't have to worry about me, I'll just stand at the side and watch, as I usually do."_ He coaxed and Ed complied, walking away to let Oswald take control of the situation.

Ed laid down on his back on the couch and watched as Oswald crawled up on top of him. He could almost feel the water drip from Oswald's hair onto his face. Already growing impatient, Edward reached out to grab onto the surprisingly real feeling face of the man above him and pulled him in for a kiss that felt way too real. The hallucinogens were just that good, and as the hallucination himself had said, even for a hallucination, he's quite useful. Oswald didn't hesitate to kiss back, his hands coming down to undo the buttons of Ed's dress shirt. He moved one of his hands off of Os's face to remove his glasses and place them on the coffee table, not breaking the kiss. Oswald was the one to break it first, bringing his lips to Edward's neck, aiming straight for his carotid. Ed was always sensitive there, letting out a small whimper when Oswald nibbled at the line of muscle. It felt _so unbelievably real_ , like any moment he'd see actual Oswald on top of him and not just a hallucination.

"Ah- O-Os-..." Edward breathlessly moaned out when he felt a hand palm at his hardening cock. His hips reflexively bucked upwards, not taking very long for his cock to come to a full erection. He threw his head back, feeling the hallucination of his soulmate smirk against his skin as his lips ghosted over the center of his neck to move to the opposite side. He didn't leave marks, couldn't leave marks, but with what Oswald was doing to his neck, it felt like the entire column of muscle would be purple with hickeys. Just the thought of Oswald leaving so many marks, claiming Edward as his own, only turned him on more. He's thought numerous times what it would be like to be with a man under the sheets, but he never thought about it being Oswald until now, and it revealed how much _want_ he had been pushing down and hiding because he was almost ashamed of his own feelings for his best friend, who he then found out was his soulmate anyways.

"Oswald, p-please..." Though he enjoyed what was happening, his patience was wearing thin.

"Of course. The meds don't last forever, after all..." Within the blink of an eye, the hallucination blurred and returned without his pants, a bottle of lubrication in his hand as he sat back on his ankles. His cock was definitely above average, standing proudly between Oswald's legs. He wondered if that was just his hunger spurring on his hallucination or if Oswald's cock actually looked like that. None of it mattered, of course, but...

His train of thought stopped abruptly and his breathing hitched in the back of his throat when he felt a wet finger press inside his entrance. He let out a shuddering breath when the finger started moving in and out of him, sending a flurry of pleasure through his body. When Ed looked down, his hallucination seemed to be enjoying himself as well, nibbling on his lower lip as he watched himself pump his finger in and out of Edward. He added another finger and crooked them inside of him, and... _Oh, dear..._

It felt like he had been struck by lightning, the bolt shooting up his spine and sending signals to his brain in a new and even more intense wave of pleasure. His head fell back once more, back arching as he failed to suppress the loud moan. "Heh, looks like I found your prostate..." Oswald muttered under his breath as Ed started pushing his hips against Oswald's fingers, wanting to feel him go even deeper. "Are you ready now, Ed?"

Edward nodded frantically, whining softly when he felt Oswald pull his fingers out of his entrance, only to be met with the feeling of Oswald's cock pushing itself inside of him slowly. It hurt, but the almost overwhelming amount of pleasure he felt at something so _big_ overpowered the pain. He shuddered when Oswald was finally completely inside of him, staying still to let Edward adjust to the foreign feeling. It took a moment, but the pain faded and he shifted his hips to signal that he was ready for Oswald to move. When Edward moved, he gasped at the feeling of Oswald's cock push against his insides. Oswald pulled out about halfway before plunging back into Ed. The hallucination huffed as he kept a slow and consistent pace with his thrusts. Ed loved how gentle and caring Oswald seemed to be for how he felt, making sure he doesn't do anything to hurt him. It felt nice, but he wanted to get it done before Oswald leaves him from the medication wearing off.

"Oswald, f-faster, _please..."_ Oswald understood the urgency in Ed's voice, leaning over him and hiking one of Ed's legs over his shoulder as he thrust faster. He hit Edward's prostate with nearly every thrust, causing sparks to fly in Ed's vision. He no longer restricted the loud moans flowing from his mouth, letting himself go in the pleasure. It was unlike anything he had felt before. It was unlike anything he had felt _being with a woman_. Only Oswald could make him feel this way... _Only Oswald._ Ed practically screamed into the otherwise noiseless and empty air, save for the panting and grunting from both of them. He was getting close to his climax and he's never felt it burn this much before to be this close.

"Tell me you belong to me. I want you to scream my name when you cum." _Yes,_ of course, Oswald would want that. The hallucination's words came out in a low growl, only spurring Ed on.

"I b-belong to you, Osw- _fuck,_ Oswald!!" Edward's eyes squeezed shut and he came uncouched between them, his release splattering on his bare chest. His legs shook as he rocked himself through the most intense orgasm he's ever felt in his life, jaw slack and sobbing. He took a moment to catch his breath, but when he finally opened his eyes, Oswald was gone. The meds must have finished taking their course just in time. All that was left was Edward's hand between his thighs, holding a dildo inside of him. He slowly pulled it out, shuddering when he felt how overly sensitive he had become post-orgasm.

His euphoria didn't last very long as he was suddenly overcome by dread. He believed, for just a moment, that it was real. That Oswald was really there. He took the time to reflect in the now-empty Van Dahl mansion. If hallucinations were from the subconscious, why did he hallucinate Oswald fucking him? Did he _really_ have some sort of feelings for Oswald? Even if soulmates did exist, he'd figure feelings never mattered. Like someone could hate their soulmate with every ounce of blood in their body, but that person would still be their soulmate.

Remembering that he still had semen on his torso and a sticky toy in his hand, he ceased his thoughts for a moment to get up and take a shower. His lower back ached, but he supposed it was worth it.

Every interaction with Oswald's phantom after that had been of the same caliber. Insults and sex. It was never very rewarding, but he did it for the simple reason that he'd rather feel amazing for just a few moments than not at all. He'd get over it soon enough anyway, get used to Oswald being nothing more than a projection of his own imagination, get used to everything being colorless once more. Of course, he kept a life outside the mansion, Making his big debut as "The Riddler", even making a deal with Jim to meet with the Court of Owls. The woman, presumably the leader, took his gun as he stepped in the backseat of the car with the two members. After that, his memory blanked out.

When he came to, he was in some sort of birdcage type thing. He looked around to try and catch any hint of his surroundings, but his eyes immediately land on the figure lying at the bottom of the cage next to him. His heart jumped to his throat and he didn't know if he was dreaming or not. He didn't pinch himself, because if he was dreaming, he didn't want to wake up. _It was Oswald._ The colors flooded back to him and everything hit him like a train. Oswald was alive, he was here with him, he had a chance to apologize, _he was adorable like that..._

It was finally confirmed that yes, he did have romantic feelings for Oswald as well. It was time to stop denying it now that he knows what it's like without him. Now that he knows Oswald is his soulmate.

"Oswald...?" Ed whispered. Oswald shifted a bit, sitting up and turning towards the source of the voice. He looked like he had been sleeping, probably kidnapped as well by these freaks. Hair a mess, eyes baggy, _perfect_.

"Ed...?" Oswald responded in almost a surprised voice before his eyes widened. His expression quickly grew cold after the small reaction as he looked away. Edward walked up to the bars that connected their two cages and rested his hands on them.

"Look, Oswald, I-"

"Shut up." The shorter man didn't let Ed finish, his voice wavering a small bit. That one detail in his tone gave away his entire emotionless facade. Perhaps he was afraid of rejection, afraid that Edward would hurt him further, but he had no intention of doing so. Far from it, actually. Since he was finally no longer in denial, Edward wanted to protect Oswald with his life.

"Please, let me-"

"NO."

Seems like Oswald was still upset about it... But Edward would stop at nothing to make sure Oswald knew he deeply lamented shooting him. He gently reached out a hand to try and reassure Oswald, but Ed hesitated and pulled back. Words should be enough.

"I'm sorry." He managed to speak up fast in case Oswald was ready to interrupt him again. No response. It wasn't until a moment later that he realized why. Oswald was looking at him with the same cold expression, but his eyes shone with a mix of concern and hope. "Please, just let me talk, Oswald..." Edward's voice had cracked in the middle of his sentence.

"Fine." He spat in return, jaw trembling. Edward took a deep breath before speaking again. In the time he took to breathe, he composed a plan on what to say.

"You brought color into my life, Oswald, but I was too stubborn to even think about what that could have meant. I was so in denial that I could have feelings for another man that I ended up pushing you away. I only realized what was truly happening after I had already shot you." He took a break to take in a shaky breath as his head fell. He didn't even realize he had been crying until he heard his own breathing shudder. "I'm so sorry, Oswald... You're my soulmate and I didn't even believe they existed until I felt everything drain away from me that day..." He was clutching the bars with white knuckles, trying his hardest to keep his entire body from shaking under the emotional pressure. When there was no response, he took a risk and looked up. Oswald was still looking at him, but his expression softened. Oswald always looked cute when he looked at Ed like that, bright green eyes sparkling with love...

"I'm sorry..." Ed sobbed, finally breaking. He bottled up his feelings too much and it all crashed into him like a wave. His head dropped again and he heard Oswald scramble to stand up and walk towards him. He placed a gentle hand on Edward's cheek and tilted it upwards. He used his thumb to gently wipe away a tear from Ed's cheek as brown eyes lock onto his. Everything Ed was feeling, Oswald could see it. What Oswald saw in Edward's eyes was true remorse, pent up emotion, and _love, so much love._

Edward pulled Oswald into a tight embrace, or, at least the tightest an embrace could be between bars. The darker haired male soothed Ed by rubbing a hand on his back, hushing him quietly, telling him it's going to be okay. When Ed finally calmed down and got his breathing under control, he pulled back to caress Oswald's cheek. He took a quick glance to Oswald's lips and before he knew it, Ed was grabbing his face and kissing him so passionately, he thought he might start crying again. All of this yearning he never knew he had for Oswald, all because he denied his feelings. Oswald didn't hesitate to kiss back, his eyelids sliding closed and resting his hands on Edward's shoulders. When they pulled away from the kiss, they looked deep into each other's eyes before hugging once more. It took every ounce of courage Edward had left to speak his next words.

"I love you, Oswald..."

Oswald chuckled lightly, burying his face into Ed's neck. "I love you, too, Edward." A few moments had passed before Ed spoke up again.

"So, don't be mad with me, but I kinda sorta had sex with a hallucination of you about a dozen times." Ed let out a breathy laugh when he felt Oswald laugh at it as well.

"Well, at least you were thinking about me."

And there they stood, holding each other in silence, enjoying the feeling of finally having each other in their arms. Of finally being with their soulmates.

Of finally seeing their colors.


End file.
